The Covenant Concept of Marriage in the Old and New Testaments

The Covenant Concept of Marriage in the Old and New Testaments

Genesis 1:26-27 Genesis 2: 7-9, 15-17 Genesis 2:18 Genesis 2:23,24 Genesis 3:1

We begin our marriage at the altar and once the vow is made and the honeymoon over, we no longer consider the altar as the foundation for our marriage At the altar we make a covenant agreement before God to one another regarding faithfulness, commitment, integrity, exclusivity, and honor Marriage is honorable, a commitment by a man and a woman who present themselves before God and the community to live as one

Adam - Male - "Zakar" (the pointed one) - Verb: "Remember As a male you are to remember and proclaim what God has said You are responsible for knowing what God has said, which is why the commandment was given to Adam. Men of God speak God s Word in their household, over their marriage, and in service to Him.

Rabbinic view final is the last, completion Emphasis on creation of woman is unique No other cosmology focuses on the creation of the women except Hebrew This reflects that the woman was specially created and with a special purpose She is the last step in human being because she originates from human being she came out of Adam

Woman - ezer kenegdo - God s choice to describe the ROLE of the helper Sustainer Provider Protector Stronger Party Hosea 13:9, Exodus 18:4, Psalm 20:2 and 33:20

Adam recognizes that Woman is the perfect partner for what he needs to do (Genesis 2:23); So Adam calls her ""Ishshah" because she came out of "Iysh." He calls himself "iysh" changing his name (from Adam for this one moment) because with the acceptance of woman, this means that he had to change. From this point on in order to be who he is, he must change in voluntary relationship with the woman.

In the Hebrew ("cleave") has nothing to do with emotions or feelings of love, but to establish an unbreakable commitment no matter how I feel. Genesis 2:24: " a man shall leave his father and mother and make an undying commitment to the wife regardless how he feels. She responds to it as it is a blessing. "and the two shall become one flesh." - The two are united into one voluntary proclamation of unity. The process of marriage is God teaching us how to become One. Marriage should be a visible image of Who God is.

The world spends billions of dollars to "keep fire in the marriage through sex, and not much is spent on the aspect of commitment and fidelity. The marriage industry is built on how I feel ("Do I love her?") We need to understand that it not always about one s capability in the marriage, but mainly one s commitment

Eve was given to Adam in order for Adam to fulfill God s Purpose in the Earth You should seek to marry someone who is tied to your purpose Man s purpose was to proclaim God s Word in the Earth Woman s purpose was to remind Adam of this responsibility

When Abraham sent his servant to seek out a wife for Isaac he wanted to make sure that the wife would be tied or connected to God's Purpose for Isaac. Abraham knew the women in the land of Canaan were idol worshippers and would not teach the children about his God He also had to protect his inheritance He would not allow Isaac to leave the promised Land to go back to Canaan. Don't leave your destiny in order to take something that is not connected to your purpose

Genesis 1:26-28: Let them have dominion and rule; let them subdue the earth Subdue kavash to overcome, often in the sense of forceful exertion. WORK Rule over radah exercise domain, authority How do human beings complete the task assigned to them by God? By WORK and AUTHORITY This command applies to BOTH men and women Satan understands the authority and dominion a man and wife can exercise in the earth as they act as one. That is why he is always plotting against the institution of marriage

Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. God gave the man the task to till the earth and to make it fruitful Genesis 2:18: And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. God created a helpmeet (ezer kenegdo) to remind man of God s words and to help him accomplish the purpose that God had given him

Genesis 3:1 The serpent was crafty means he had a hidden agenda This World has an agenda to destroy the institution of marriage Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed They had complete transparency in their relationship Sin destroys transparency The Serpent challenges the commandment of God He doesn t pose a question to doubt what God says. He simply suggest that it doesn t matter if God said it. Are you capable of making up your own mind about your destiny?

The knowledge of Good and Evil is about I decide what is good for me? The temptation for the woman is to decide what she thinks about God s Word I know what s best The temptation for the man is to forget what God says

Adam plays a silent role in this whole scene Adam and Eve were both present with the serpent Adam allowed the woman to usurp his role by allowing the woman to answer for him Satan knew that if he influenced the woman (ezer kenegdo) that the man will follow God governs by defacto authority Authority by agreement; one submits to authority because it benefits him God could rule by cosmic jurisdiction authority which is authority by compulsion but He gives man the privilege to choose Him

Both Man and Women submit unto God because they deem Him worthy and beneficial for their lives Submission is like that: If the wife desires to follow her husband, and the husband loves his wife, there is a mutual agreement that is established as each deem the other worthy of leading and beneficial in submitting (i.e. I know this person will have my back)

They Hid Themselves From God - They tried to cover their sins Losing Transparency The Blame Game Failure to Take Responsibility Man s Total Being Changed Nepesh Corrupted thoughts, Body begins to deteriorate, spiritual separation from God What they were commissioned to overtake and subdue (the world), now turns on them

Sin disrupts the created order by establishing a false hierarchy based on self-control Most of what we see in marriages is not love, but the husband trying to dominate and the woman trying to manipulate The Task or identities of the Man and the Woman did not change What changes is the context of the TASK and the AUTHORITY (Genesis 3:16-19) Adam will still steward the earth but by the sweat of his brow The Woman s role does not change, but now the man will resist her words

Your desire shall be for your husband and he will rule over you Desire Teshuqah means you made he husband your priority and not your God. Now since you made that decision, the relationship is turned upside down. Eve thought she was doing what was best for her man, but what she tried to improve, she diminished Adam names Eve - Keep in mind what Adam named, he took dominion over, but he lost that dominion in the fall Two definitions for Eve Mother of all living Adam also calls the woman, Chavvah - means serpent; or according to her sins thus reminding her that he will no longer trust her because of the Garden incident Eve retaliates with revenge and seeks God for another son that she may support. She names her first son, Cain meaning Weapon by which she will get revenge against Adam for accusing her

Over the years, there has always been struggle in the marriage relationship Through the bible we see the impact of Adam and Eve s sin as the husband seeks to suppress and control the wife and the wife must resort to manipulation to control the husband This was not what God had in mind Even today we see this taught in our churches usually scriptures to support improper submission, a fleshly, conditional, love, and manipulation We must come back to the Father and renew vows that we made at the beginning at the altar

Ephesians 5:22-31 As Man was redeemed through the blood of Jesus, so was the relationship between God, Man, and Woman As the man and woman submit to Christ, God s proper order in the marital relationship is re-established The husband commits himself out of a love for his wife, being faithful and committed to the relationship The wife responds in gratitude and reverence to her husband

For the Husband: Love as Christ loves the church Self-sacrifice (no personal agenda) Christ gave his life for the church Compelling Love constrains us to act faithfully Unwavering Faithfulness Complete Dedication and Commitment to the marriage Absolute Fidelity Continuous Forgiveness, Mercy and Grace representing Christ in the marriage

For the wife: as to the Lord Voluntary commitment (de facto) and submission to her husband Taking Ownership of her role as ezer kenegdo by reminding the man of God s Word Exclusivity regarding the relationship Active obedience to God and to her husband Purity Honor and Respect Thanksgiving and Gratitude

Devotion not service out of regimentation Listening not telling the other what to do, what they ve done, and what they lack Obedience not compliance Reverse cultural expectations no me and you, only us Ownership and Stewardship of each other s role Intimacy without Distractions at both levels

Special Thanks to Dr. Skip Moen who has provided me with much insight and guidance. More information can be found in his book, Guardian Angel, and from his website: At God s Table (skipmoen.com)